Today's Edition
Khaled Al Khawaldeh (Abu Dhabi)
In a world where traditional print publications are constantly under pressure to stay relevant and compete with fast and plentiful online media, it is easy for those in the publication industry to see modern technology as an enemy.
However, a top media expert stressed that this is not the case. Speaking on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF) on Sunday, Ibrahim Nasser Al Mulaifi, author and editor in chief of influential Kuwaiti magazine Al Arabi, said digital media was, in fact, a great ally — allowing the industry to reach audiences beyond the logistical boundaries that inhibited them years ago.
“The online space is what opened up audiences for us from Australia and America. You cannot imagine the size of the diaspora there,” he said during a talk at the book fair on Sunday.
“Those populations there, many of them young, have a very high level of nostalgia and commitment to the Arab world. Through our online platforms, we were able to offer them something that they can use.”
Speaking about the experience at the helm of Al Arabi, Mulaifi made the case for increased digitisation – claiming it was a chance to both unify the Arab world and reach out to the broader global community.
In a wide-ranging talk, Mulaifi spoke of his travels to Sri Lanka, Cuba, and other parts of Asia and urged the writers and readers of the Arab world to think deeper about the region’s cultural preservation and enlightenment.
“Asia has everything, whether it’s the diversity of its people or its cultures, it has everything,” he said.
“The Arab world has always looked to the west, to Europe. [For] the Asians like Japan, the Asian tigers — while their development came from early learnings from the Europeans, they succeeded in taking those learnings and creating something that works for them.” The region, however, is yet to make a similar model, he said.
